Oar stabilizer



Aug. 15, 1961 J. ROUNDS OAR STABILIZER Filed Oct. 29, 1959 INVENTOR. 1434/: J. Rea/v05 A TTOzP/YE Y5 2,995,763 OAR STABILIZER Leslie J. Rounds, Lockport Township, St. Joseph County, Mich. (R.R. 2, 346C, Three Rivers, Mich.) Filed Oct. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 849,493 Claims. (Cl. 9-26) This invention relates in general to a device for holding an oar in a selected position with respect to a rowboat and, more particularly, to such a device which preferably holds the oar substantially at a right angle, for example, to the lengthwise centerline of the boat, and which is automatically disconnected from said oar upon downward movement of the handle end of said oar.

It is well known that circumstances often arise when it is desirable to remove the oars of a rowboat from the water without placing them in the boat. For example, such a condition often arises when a fisherman wishes to move his boat quietly, hence without the use of a motor, while trolling, fly fishing or bait casting.

If the oars are placed in the boat at the end of each short period of use, they bring water with them and they are often diflicult to remove and initiate another rowing operation. It is usually considered unwise, if not unsafe, to permit the oars to drag in the water when they are not being used to propel the boat.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of a device whereby an oar of a rowboat can be held out of the water without placing the wet blade of the oar in the boat and whereby said oar is held in a convenient position for manual engagment to propel the boat.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an oar-positioning device, as aforesaid, which is quickly and easily connected to the ear and which can be disconnected from said oar simply by lowering the handle end thereof. 7

A further object of this invention is the provision of an oar-positioning device, as aforesaid, which can be easily and quickly adapted to use with any type of conventional rowboat presently known to bein use without making any changes in the boat and without the use of special tools.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an oar-positioning device, as aforesaid, which is vary inexpensive to fabricate, which is equally easy to install, which can be operated by any person capable of operating a rowboat and which, when not in use, automatically stores itself in a position where it is completely out of the way of any normal function perfomed by the oars and the boat.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a fragment of a rowboat and oar therefor which are equipped with the oar-positioning de vice embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII in FIGURE 2. 7

FIGURE 4 is a fragment of a boat and oar, similar to that shown in FIGURE 1, and illustrating a modified structure.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIGURE 4.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The objects and purposes of this invention including those set forth above, have been met by providing an elongated, resiliently flexible and extensible member, such Patented, Aug. 15,1961

as a pair of spiral springs interconnected at one end of each. The free ends of said springs are connected to the gunwale of the rowboat near the upper edge thereof and on the opposite, fore and aft sides of the oarlock at substantially equal distances therefrom. The connected ends of said springs are provided with an integral loop which is releasably engageable with a hook mounted upon the oar between the handle thereof and the oarlock. Disconnection between the hook on the car and the loop on the springs is easily effected simply by lowering the handle end of the oar, whereupon said springs then drop down into positions snugly adjacent to the gunwale of the boat.

Detailed construction The oar-positioning device 10 of the invention (FIG- URES l and 2) is secured to, and between, the gunwale 11 of the rowboat 12 and the oar 13, which is pivotally supported by means of the oarlock 14 upon said gunwale.

More specifically, the oar-positioning device 10 (FIG- URE 2) is comprised of a pair of elongated, resiliently flexible and extensible elements, such as the springs 17 and 18, which are connected at one end of each to the loop 19. If desired, an elongated spiral spring, such as a conventional screen door spring, can be bent intermediate the ends thereof to form the springs 17 and 18, and reshaped between said springs to formthe loop 19. The springs 17 and 118 have rings 22 and 23 which are pivot-ally engageable with the eyes 24 and 25 of a pair of eyebolts 27 and 28, respectively. The eyebolts 27 and 28 are slidably received through openings 29 and 30 in the gunwale 11 on opposite sides of the oarlock 14 and preferably at equal distances therefrom. The eyebolts 27 and 28 are held in position with respect to the gunwale 11 by nuts 33 and 34, respectively.

A hook 36 is secured to the bottom side of the oar 13 (FIGURE 3) between the oarlock 14 and handle 37 by means of a bolt 38 and nut 39 so that the hook 36 opens toward the handle 37. The hook 36 is slidably engage able by the loop 19 on the springs 17 and 18. When the loop 19 is engaged by the hook 36 and the springs 17 and 18 are under tension between the hook 36 and eyebolts 27 and 28, the oar -13 is preferably at a right angle to the lengthwise centerline of the boat and slopes downwardly toward the water, but is spaced therefrom. Under these circumstances, the springs 17 and 18 will slope upwardly toward the hook 36, as shown in FIGURE 1. When the loop 19 is disengaged from the hook 36, the springs 17 and 18 are free to pivot downwardly into their broken line position indicated at 17a in FIGURE 1.

Operation After the Oar-positioning device 10 (FIGURES l and 2) is installed substantially as described above, operation thereof is effected simply by moving the springs 17 and 18 from their broken line position 17a in FIGURE 1 into their solid line positions of FIGURE 2 so that the loop 19 can be engaged with the hook 36. This action is, of course, preceded by the positioning of the oar 13 in a substantially horizontal position crosswise of the boat 12 (FIGURES 1 and 2). The weight of the outer or blade end of the oar 13 will tend to raise the handle end of the oar, thereby placing the springs 17 and 18 under tensionmand thereby maintaining and holding the car 13 in its FIGURE 1 position where it is out of both the boat and the water, but is immediately ready for use.

When it becomes desirable to use the car 13, the hamdle 37 is simply moved downwardly, thereby moving the hook 36 closer to the eyebolts 27 and 28, until the weight of the springs 17 and 18 causes the loop 19 to slide off the hook 36. As soon as the loop 19 is disengaged from the hook 36, said springs immediately 3 move downwardly into their inoperative position indicated at 17a in FIGURE 1.

In view of the resiliency of the springs 17 and 18, it is possible to raise the handle end 37 of the car 13 and cause the blade end to engage the water for the purpose of propelling the boat by manually moving the oar in a series of short strokes. When the oar is released from such use, the springs will immediately and automatically return the oar to its initial, centered position.

The slope of the oar 13, when engaged by the device 10, can be easily adjusted by changing the positions of the eyebolts 27 and 28 with respect to the gunwale 11. That is, the slope of the oar can be increased so that the blade end thereof dips into the water by moving the eyebolts rightwardly (FIGURES 1 and 2). By moving one eyebolt rightwardly and the other eyebolt leftwardly, the angle of the oar with respect to the centerline of the boat can be changed, as shown in broken lines at 13b in FIGURE 2, while keeping the same slope or even changing the slope, if desired.

FIGURES 4 and 5 disclose a modified, oar-positioning device 50 wherein the eyebolts 27 and 28 of the positioning device shown in FIGURE 2 are each replaced by a U-shaped clamp '51, which fits over the upper edge of the gunwale 52. The clamp 51 has downwardly extending arms 53 and 54 through which the clamp bolts 56 and 57 are threadedly received for engaging the opposite sides of the gunwale 52 and thereby holding the clamp 51 in position. An eyebolt 58 is connected to each clamp 51 for the purpose of engaging a ring, such as the ring 59, on the springs 62 and 64.

The loop 63 is secured to the ends of the Springs 62 and 64 remote from the clamps 51 thereon for releasable engagement with a hook 66 secured to the oar 13a. Specifically, the book 66 is releasably secured with respect to the oar 13a by means of a clamping sleeve 67, which has adjustment means 68 for tightening the sleeve 6'7 upon the oar 13a.

The modified oar-positioning device 50 operates in substantially the same manner as set forth above with respect to the oar-positioning device 10.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the in vention have been set forth above in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which lie Within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for holding an oar substantially within a selected position with respect to a boat having on the gunwale thereof an oarlock in which said bar is pivotally supported between its ends comprising: an elongated, resiliently flexible and extensible member arranged in a substantially V-shaped position so that it may be extended in both directions from the apex thereof; means on the gunwale of the boat engaging the opposite ends of said member at points on opposite sides of, and spaced substantially from, a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise extent of said boat and passing through the oarlock; and fastening means secured to the roar between the handle end thereof and the oarlock and spaced a substantial distance, from the oarlock said fastening means being releasably engageable with said member at the apex there'- of, whereby said member and the gunwale define substantially a triangle and the oar is resiliently held in a position out of the Water and substantially at a right angle to the lengthwise extent of the boat.

2. A device for holding an oar in-a selected position securing the other ends of said springs to the gunwale of the boat near the upper edge thereof, said springs extending at an angle of about 45 degrees to said gunwale, said connection means being disposed on opposite sides of, and spaced substantially equal distances from, a plane substantially perpendicular to the lengthwise extent of the boat and passing through the center of the oarlock; and

hook means secured to the oar between the handle thereof and the oarlock, said hook means being spaced a substantial distance from the oarlock and being releasably engageable with said loop means, whereby said springs and said gunwale define substantially a triangle with said loop at the apex thereof and said oar is held in an outwardly and downwardly sloping position within said plane, disengagement between said hook and said loop means being effected by moving the handle of said oar downwardly from said position.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said connection means includes a pair of eyebolts pivotally connected to the ends of said springs, a pair of clamps respectively connected to said eyebolts and screw means on said clamps for aflixing same to said boat; and including a sleeve removably mounted upon, and encircling, said oar near the handle thereof, said hook means being mounted on said sleeve whereby same are secured to said oar by said sleeve.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the said engaging means on the gunwale of the boat includes a support bracket means removably supported upon said gunwale adjacent'said oarlock, said support bracket means having portions thereof extending downwardly into said boat near said gunwale on opposite sides of said plane, the opposite ends of said extensible member being respective ly connected to said downwardly extending portions oi said support bracket means; and wherein said fastening means includes a clamping device releasably engageable with said oar.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said extensible member is an elongated, spiral spring having a distorted portion near the mid-point thereof engageable'with said fastening means; and wherein'the said engaging means on the gunwale of the boat and the said fastening means on said oar are removably mounted respectively upon said gunwale and said oar so that they can be moved from one boat to another. a

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 118,678 Berkeley Sept. 5, 1871 228,800 Barker et al. June 15, 1886 652,728 War-man June 26, C 1,273,696 Vanhoof July 23, 1915 2,550,338 Dunagan Apr. 24, 1951 2,795,804 Garland June 18, 1957 2,839,852 Schlroer June 24, 1955 2,861,768 Roccati Nov. 25, E

FOREIGN PATENTS 19,773 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1896 326,236 France Feb. 16, 1903 

